Tophat1812(REDS) vs Moses(Krauts and friends)

[Tophat1815]

After Extensive Air recon of the Front..actually all Fronts but lets deal with this one first,this is what he has out there facing me at Leningrad:

All units with red/orange arrows pointing towards them have Corps Hq's in the stack. Takes away some of the menace for me.

The stack circled in Lt.purple consists of the 1st,8th panzer with SS Totenkopf and is a worry.

Now with this information change anybodies opinion on Leningrad's near certain demise?

[Flaviusx]

Your defenses up there are still weak. He may not have the forces to take the city, but he can cut it off overland supply.

[Tophat1815]

After EXTENSIVE and I mean EXTENSIVE AERIAL RECON this is what faces me in Moscow/Rzhev and V.L area:

Orange arrows have Corps Hq's in stack

All yellow arrows are regiments!

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

Your defenses up there are still weak. He may not have the forces to take the city, but he can cut it off overland supply.

I do not dispute your point at all and I plan on shifting more troops to Leningrad area this turn. I thought wrongly,that the city population was going to greatly increase my fortification lvls. Working on some corrections now.

[Flaviusx]

The urban population helps, but it can only assist hexes that are actually occupied, and there's some fairly critical locations you've left empty or at most occupied by a HQ.

Use the swamps to help you build linear defenses up here. There's a whole stretch of them at or near the Volkhov river. The weak spot is the clear and forested area just east of Leningrad, and it doesn't look like you ever had diggers here.

It's probably time to go 3 deep in Leningrad proper. Those guys west of the city might be more profitably pulled into it.

Make sure your command and control inside the city is consistent. Don't roll with mixed stacks in there. If you pull the Oranienbaum defenders into Leningrad, you're probably going to have to reassign them, looks like you have two different fronts in action here, Leningrad Front in the city, and Northwestern Front west of it.

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

The urban population helps, but it can only assist hexes that are actually occupied, and there's some fairly critical locations you've left empty or at most occupied by a HQ.

Use the swamps to help you build linear defenses up here. There's a whole stretch of them at or near the Volkhov river. The weak spot is the clear and forested area just east of Leningrad, and it doesn't look like you ever had diggers here.

It's probably time to go 3 deep in Leningrad proper. Those guys west of the city might be more profitably pulled into it.

Make sure your command and control inside the city is consistent. Don't roll with mixed stacks in there. If you pull the Oranienbaum defenders into Leningrad, you're probably going to have to reassign them, looks like you have two different fronts in action here, Leningrad Front in the city, and Northwestern Front west of it.

Already ahead of you all under Northern Front now.

I intended to pull back from the far west this turn.I'll get defenses on line and first city hex 3 high.

Plan on infantry in the swamp delaying his drive to the rail line.

I have Infantry 6 leader in charge of 8th army now. And 6 Infantry at Northern Front as well.

[CharonJr]

Yes, his attacking force looks rather weak.

But on the other hand if he does not plan to try something there, why keep 1 Panzer Korps up there?

CharonJr

[randallw]

You may also still hold a few rough terrain hexes, those are good for defense too.

[Encircled]

What sort of forces have you got out to the East of the Volkhov?

He probably hasn't got enough troops to cover his flanks, but its a possibility

That Pz Corp is four hexes away from cutting off Land supply to Leningrad, and that can't be good

Unless I'm completely in the dark about Soviet units abilities in '41, I can't see how you can stop him (if he attacks next turn of course!)

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: Encircled

What sort of forces have you got out to the East of the Volkhov?

He probably hasn't got enough troops to cover his flanks, but its a possibility

That Pz Corp is four hexes away from cutting off Land supply to Leningrad, and that can't be good

Unless I'm completely in the dark about Soviet units abilities in '41, I can't see how you can stop him (if he attacks next turn of course!)

There are several options to stop him this turn:

1) I can rail in 4 additional rifle divisions this turn.

2) I have not yet moved my forces this turn a simple readjustment forces him to fight and win to go forward. I'll have additional divisions/brigades ready to commit next turn.

Not a lost cause,just have a meeting tonight and can't finish my turn before then.

[Encircled]

Fair enough!

I've got to admit that the marsh hexes next to the Volkhov will be easily enough to defend, but those four hexes next to them, two clear and two light woods, with the last one having a zero fortification?

Are you going just to put as many units as possible in the gap, (1 or two on each hex) and hope that lack of MP's will stop them?

[ComradeP]

Provided you have 3 good Rifle divisions a hex with more in reserve on the northern bank by the time he gets there, he's not going to be able to cross. As long as you make good use of the swamps, there's no way he's going to get to the ports.

Provided you can fortify the following hexes, or at least have good stacks in the three swamp hexes and the hex containing Northwest Front HQ as well as along the Volkhov, he isn't going anywhere. A concentrated swamp defence is currently impossible to break.

[randallw]

Be sure to keep a line open for the units in the swamps; having them become Guards units just to lose them by isolation and surrender is a revolting development.

[Encircled]

Even with lots of infantry attacks to begin with, and the Panzers coming in at the end to try to batter their way to the coast?

[ComradeP]

He'll need 3 infantry divisions for every Rifle division in a swamp hex, so that isn't going to happen unless he reinforces AGN substantially in the next few turns. He might reach the coast, but he shouldn't be able to reach the ports.